


Junior Jack

by InterstellarVagabond



Series: Sophomore Jack AU [3]
Category: Samurai Jack (Cartoon)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-25 02:59:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 7,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10755336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InterstellarVagabond/pseuds/InterstellarVagabond
Summary: Jack returns for another year at Morrison Juvenile Rehabilitation, damaged from the events of the summer and spiraling dangerously closer to a breakdown. As he fends off hallucinations and alcoholic tendencies he finds out Aku is no longer the only one that wants to ruin his life, as seven elementary school girls appear ready to kick his ass.





	1. Ghosts

Jack sat in bed, toying with the cat pendant that hung from around his neck. The necklace he’d been wearing ever since summer vacation. He remembered those blue eyes so full of gratitude and concern. How she’d taken care of him when he was having a panic attack so bad he couldn’t move.

“You killed me,” the phantom woman whispered in his ear.

“You are not her, you are my mind playing tricks on me,” Jack hissed.

“Does that change anything?” the woman said. “You still killed me. You didn’t even know my name, I saved you and you killed me without even knowing me.”

“No.” Jack squeezed his eyes shut, clutching the necklace tighter.

“Our own son, a thief and a murderer,” now his father was speaking.

“I didn’t steal, it was Aku! You know that!” Jack whimpered. “But I…I did…”

“You did murder a man in cold blood!” his father cried.

“I cannot feel safe around my own son,” his mother sobbed. 

“No…no…” Jack felt hot tears forming in his eyes and drew his knees in close to his chest.

“Who you talkin’ to laddie?” Scottie’s sleepy voice broke the silence as he turned on the lamp on the nightstand. Jack did not answer, he just kept his face hidden against his knees and tried to will the tears to stop. Scottie got out of bed and sat on the edge of Jack’s.

“You ain’t been the same since break,” he said sadly. “Look ya don’t have to tell me what happened, but ya don’t have to pretend everything’s alright either. Just let it out.” 

Scottie patted Jack’s back, and felt how he was shaking with choked back sobs. “Seriously, you can’t hold it all in you’ll go mad. Go ahead and cry. I’ll make ya some tea, okay, laddie?”


	2. I'm Fine

“You don’t look fine, laddie,” Scottie said, eyeing the dark circles under Jack’s eyes in particular.

Jack shrugged, making a face. “I just look like garbage, cannot help it.”

“Yer not funny,” Scottie said, unimpressed. “Besides you know yer flawless when it comes to the looks department. Quit lyin’ to me and tell me what’s up.”

“I’ve just been having a rough patch lately…” Jack said. “I do not wish to talk about it.”

“And I said you didn’t have to talk about it, but that was before you started talking to yerself and drinking at eight in the bloody morning and lookin’ like a zombie!” Scottie said.

“…Can I trust you not to tell anyone?” Jack asked.

“Ah, come off, ya know ya can trust me more than anyone!” Scottie said. Jack gave a sigh that shook his whole body and then sat down on his bed.

“I’ve been…”

Just then there was a pounding at the door. “Yo! Sensei! Scot! They got those sprinkle brownies in the cafeteria again c’mon c’mon!”

Jack stood up, grateful for the interruption. However, Scottie was determined to bring it up again later.


	3. Talk To Me

“Please talk to me, laddie,” Scottie said. “I just want to help.”

Jack smiled, putting on a face that almost convinced Scottie he was alright. “It is not just to make you my therapist, my problems are mine alone. Besides, I’m feeling fine.”

“I mean yeah, maybe I can be a little…co-dependent, but I’m just worried about ya, laddie,” Scottie said. “Can’t I help ya as a friend?”

“I do not need any help,” Jack said firmly, turning away.

“It doesn’t look that way to me…” Scottie said.

Jack turned back to his friend, tilting his head to the side in an inquisitive manner.

“The dark circles, the night terrors, the dead lady’s necklace yer wearing,” Scottie said. “You’ve dropped five pounds in the past two weeks, ya haven’t been doing yer homework much less going to class, this isn’t a healthy Jack.”

“I…I will be fine,” Jack said. “Just give me time my friend, I promise you I will be back to normal before you know it.”

“…I’m gonna trust ya on this, but if things don’t get better soon….” Scottie sighed.

“Then I give you full permission to nag me within an inch of my life,” Jack chuckled quietly.


	4. You Deserve Better

“I am a terrible roommate,” Jack said.

“Fuck off, no ya ain’t” Scottie said.

“Yes, I am sure I am,” Jack insisted “In the course of one night you have had to hold my hair while I vomit, restrain me while I lashed out at a hallucination, and bandage my hand when you failed to keep me from punching the mirror.”

“Pfft, ya should meet my family, that’s just the basics in our household,” Scottie said.

“Really?” Jack asked.

“Oh yeah, me cousin Ainsley always has some broken limb or another, and me da still gets some PTSD from time to time,” Scottie said, lifting Jack’s face so he would look him in the eyes. “Broken people may be difficult, but they’re also still people. They just need some help. Maybe I’m a co-dependent arse who needs to get ya to a real doctor, but either way I’m not gonna abandon my friend.”

“Thank you,” Jack sighed.

“Of course,” Scottie said. “But ya are paying for that mirror, rich boy.”


	5. Homecoming

The Morrison Juvenile Rehabilitation homecoming dance was just like any other school’s dances. 

Except for the security guards armed with batons at every door and bars over the windows. 

Jack had spent his first dance at this school standing by the wall silently, dancing with Scottie for awhile, and ultimately going home early. However, his junior year found him and Scottie leaning drunkenly on each other while trying to avoid the watchful eyes of the chaperones. 

This left Malik and Jason on their own to entertain themselves.

“Bro, I cannot believe you got me to wear this,” Samurai growled, pulling at the cuffs of the borrowed suit. It was just a little too small on him, just enough to drive him crazy without actually convincing Thief it was the wrong size and should not be worn. 

“Shut up I made you look good,” Thief snickered, taking a sip from possibly the only cup of punch safe from Scottie and Jack’s spike.

“Man, I always look good!” Samurai said. “Fuck you, man, I’m gorgeous.”

“I know you are,” Thief muttered.

“Come again?” Samurai asked.

“I said, care to dance?” Thief tilted his head towards the dance floor with a smirk.

“Ha, I would but…I wouldn’t wanna make you look bad,” Samurai gave a cocky smile and tugged on his suit jacket.

“Oh? Sounds more like you’re scared,” Thief said.

“Oh it’s on now, let’s go, chump,” Samurai laughed, running towards the dance floor. 

Just as Thief and Samurai reached their destination the music changed to a slow song. Samurai and Thief froze in their tracks and laughed awkwardly at each other.

“Bummer, guess I can’t show you how it’s done now,” Samurai said, wiping sweat from his brow.

“…I wouldn’t say that,” Thief held out his hand, hoping Samurai couldn’t see him blushing in the dark. “C’mon token straight, no strings attached, just a dance.”

Samurai blushed now, and turned his face away so Thief couldn’t see. Then he took his hand. Thief took it slow at first, keeping Samurai at a distance. Then once Malik was looking at him again he took the risk and pulled him closer. Samurai didn’t pull away.


	6. Date?

"Do you wanna go out?"

“You serious?” Thief scoffed. The question had come from nowhere. The two roommates had just been spending a quiet afternoon in their room, Thief surfing the internet and Samurai pacing the room. Then Samurai had posed that question.

“I mean I was until you took that tone with me.” Samurai cocked an eyebrow and frowned. 

“Awww come on wait,” Thief stood up from his chair and walked over to his roommate. “I wasn’t trying to be mean.”

“Intentions often fail when actions take the lead,” Samurai said with a huff.

“Is that more bullshit from Jack?” Thief smiled despite himself.

“Hey, sensei knows what he’s talkin’ ‘bout, okay?” Samurai said, glaring back at Thief.

“Alright, alright, I’m sorry.” Thief put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. 

“Ya better be,” Samurai scowled.

“Does this mean I’m paying for dinner?” Thief asked with a sly grin.

“You bet your ass it means you’re paying,” Samurai said


	7. Stay With Me

_Just stay with me_

It was the words left unsaid when Jack was kneeling in a bathroom stall vomiting up what little breakfast he’d had. When he was hiding in his closet from the ghosts that flew about in his vision. When he was skipping class to sit on the roof with Wolf.

_Just stay with me_

It was what he was too damn scared to say when Scottie came to check on him, couldn’t find him, looked at him with concern and asked if there was anything he could do.

No, Scottie had a life. He had a girlfriend, he had wrestling, he had class, he had Jason and Malik.

Jack would not….could not pull him away from that.

No. He would say “I’m fine”, he would say “go away”, he would say “I don’t need you”.

He would say anything except “just stay with me”.


	8. Class Solidarity

Normally when Jack felt a bad mental health day coming on he stayed in bed, skipped classes for the day, and limited his social interaction.

However, this bout of hallucinations caught him off guard in the middle of class.

“What are you even doing here?” Cat’s ghost asked him. “Pretending to be a regular teenager, as if you can go back to your normal life.”

“You’re better off living my life don’t you think?” Brett asked through the red slit in his throat.

Jack felt sweat dripping down his brow, he tried to ignore them.

“Son.”

Jack clenched his teeth, praying for the dismissal bell.

“You are a disappointment to me,” his father appeared before him. “You are not my son.”

“No!” Jack stood, his chair scraping against the floor. Every eye in the classroom was on him. This was it. He was crazy, and everyone knew it.

Suddenly another chair scraped across the floor. “Yes!” Samurai yelled.

“What? No!” Thief joined in. “You damn fool!”

“Of course it’s yes, man! What do you know?” Samurai yelled back.

“That’s it, Teller, Morst, Sakai, out in the hallway!” the teacher yelled, pointing at the door. Thief and Samurai shrugged almost in unison and each took one of Jack’s arms before leading him out of the room.

“Why did you do that?” Jack asked, perplexed.

“Solidarity, man,” Samurai said. “Whatever you’re working out, you ain’t getting in trouble without us.”

“Plus that class is super boring,” Thief said


	9. I Can't Do This

“Yes, you can,” Scottie said, rubbing Jack’s back. The pair was kneeling on the floor, Scottie slightly behind Jack who looked doubled over in pain. Tears were streaming down Jack’s face, but not a sob was heard.

“No, I am afraid I cannot,” Jack spoke as calmly as if he was commenting on the weather.

“You’ve been through worse,” Scottie said.

“That is precisely the problem,” Jack shot back. “I am….irredemable.”

Something Jack’s dad once said echoed through his head. He clenched his teeth and thought of the bright red slit across the man’s throat, how the hot blood had splattered onto his face, how it dried on his skin and clothes leaving a brown crust.

“The choices I have made…have marked me as a killer,” Jack said. “I cannot wash the blood off my hands.”

Almost as if summoned by his words his vision began to twist out of reality and his hands turned red with a torrent of blood. Jack held the hands before him, staring at them fearfully. “My friend, is this real? Tell me what you see.”

“Just yer hands, laddie,” Scottie covered Jack’s hands with his own. “Now look. There’s a lot of bad people in the world, and a lot of them here. But they’re bad people because they liked doing bad things and they didn’t apologize for them. You clearly don’t like what you did and you are very sorry. That doesn’t sound like a bad man to me.”

“I can’t,” Jack said. “Please, go to class leave me here. I need to be alone.”

“…are you sure you’ll be okay?” Scottie asked reluctantly.

“Yes.”

“…and ya promise not to do anything rash?”

“Yes.”

“Well then…okay…for now!” Scottie said. “I’ll give you some space but I’ll be back at lunch. Take care of yourself laddie…”


	10. Stealing

nce again this ended up being funny and then angsty I really gotta cheer up lmao

“This is yer fault,” Scottie said.

“Umm, I beg to differ,” Thief hissed. “Who was the one who asked me to steal the thing in the first place?”

“Some thief you are, you woke him up!” Scottie whispered. “I thought ya said ya were a professional!”

“Shhh,” Thief said. 

The two red-heads were hiding in Jack’s closet, leaning against each other behind the neatly hung rows of clothing. Just under the crack in the door they could see Jack’s feet moving slowly, as if he was looking for something or someone.

“Did ya at least get the thing?” Scottie asked.

“Seriously, shut up!” Thief hissed. “And yes, god, what am I an amateur?” Thief held out the cat necklace for Scottie to see.

Suddenly neither of them dared to make a noise, Thief covered Scottie’s mouth and Scottie was too nervous to yell at him for it. Jack’s feet were inches away from the closet. Thief was sure that any second now he would open the closet and catch them in the act of stealing his morbid souvenir. 

Jack’s feet stood there for a moment, then there was a yawn and the sound of footsteps and bedsprings as Jack got back into bed. Scottie and Thief let out a sigh.

“Alright, we should wait a few minutes to make sure he’s really asleep before we go back out there.” Thief said. “Maybe you can….QUIETLY…tell me what the big deal about this necklace is?”

“None of yer business,” Scottie said, grabbing the necklace and tucking it into his pocket.


	11. Secret

Scottie changed into his pajamas, remembering at the last second to pull the necklace from his pants pocket and hide it in his sock drawer. When he closed the drawer, the slight sound woke Jack. 

His roommate murmured and then sat up, rubbing at his eyes. Even with the scraggly depression beard, sleepy Jack looked like a child. 

“Mmm…what is it?” he asked, eyes still mostly closed.

“Ah, sorry, go back to sleep, laddie,” Scottie said. 

“Why are you awake?” Jack asked.

“Ah, you know me, always partyin’,” Scottie winked. “Snuck out for a date with Callie. Me bonnie lass does like some adventure.”

“Ah, of course,” Jack said, reaching for something that usually hung around his neck. When his hand grabbed only empty air he paused and searched his chest. “No…I thought it was just a dream…”

“What was a dream, laddie?” Scottie asked, trying to keep his voice from betraying his nervousness. 

“It’s gone,” Jack said, wide-eyed in a panic. He searched under his blankets and pillows. “I have to find it…have to find it…”

“Whoa, laddie, you won’t find anything in the dark when you’re half asleep,” Scottie said, putting a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “We’ll both look for whatever it is in the morning, okay?”

Jack stared at his friend and then nodded. “Yes…you are right…in the morning.”

“Now go on back to bed, we have class tomorrow,” Scottie said. Jack nodded sleepily and lay back down. Scottie gave a sigh of relief and went to his own bed. He did not notice Jack grabbing his pillow tight with fear, the way he trembled. 

_It is not possible…is it…that she came to claim her necklace….? No. You are being a fool. Your mind is playing tricks on you. Still…perhaps…_


	12. Wolf

There’d been a dog sniffing about for a week now. Security had tried to run it off, but it kept coming back.

Teachers tip-toed from their cars to the school in fear of the stray, who looked more wolf than husky. Some even brought tribute of hamburgers and steak leftovers in hopes the dog would leave them alone.

Finally, when the school called animal control, the dog was nowhere to be found.

At least, nowhere the officials could find it.

“What in the bloody hell is that?” Scottie yelled.

“Shhh,” Jack put a finger to his mouth, warning his roommate to be quiet before turning back to the dog. He was brushing the burrs from its fur and stroking its head, all the while the dog was making a contented whimpering.

“Jack you know we’re not allowed to have pets…” Scottie stopped and groaned. “You make me sound like an old man…”

“Wolf needed a place to rest,” Jack said.

“And he’s already named it which means we can never get rid o’ it ever,” Scottie grumbled. “Wait did ya name yer dog Wolf? What kinda emo furry bullshit…”

Jack put the brush on the nightstand, giving Scottie the opportunity to see that it was just Jack’s brush he hadn’t gone out and bought a dog brush. Then he stood and grabbed his backpack, digging around in it until he found what appeared to be a wad of paper towels with grease soaking through. He unwrapped the paper towels and put them on the bed, revealing the burger that Scottie had assumed Jack ate during lunch.

“You can’t give the dog yer lunch, I’m drawing the line right there,” Scottie said.

“He’s hungrier than me,” Jack said, stroking the dog’s fur. Wolf was happily chowing down, tail wagging.

“I doubt that, skinny,” Scottie poked Jack in the ribs. “You barely eat as it is without giving yer food to the dog.”

“I can buy dog food,” Jack said, his face taking on a slight pout.

Scottie paused a second, looking at the dog and then at Jack.

“Ya know,” he said. “One ‘a my cousins got a therapy dog. Had ta go to a buncha doctors, and get it all trained up…but his school had to let him keep it…”

“Yes…that is an option,” Jack said thoughtfully. “But…I would not want to abuse the service animal program just to keep my dog.”

“Jack,” Scottie bent down and took Jack by the shoulders. “I love ya laddie. You need a therapy dog. Yer seriously fucked up.”

Jack first looked surprise then he frowned. Then he sighed and shrugged. “Very well.”

There’d been a dog in Ryou Sakai and Scott Wallace’s room for about a week now. As far as the school officials knew, of course. Wolf was a licensed therapy animal, and shadowed Jack wherever he went. A mean-spirited bully plastered a “who saved who?” rescue shelter sticker to Jack’s locker as a joke, but Jack immediately took a liking to it and kept it.


	13. Parent Teacher Conference

Parents rarely visited Morrison Juvenile Rehabilitation.

Either they were trying to pretend their criminal child didn’t exist, or they were too busy taking care of other kids to pay a visit.

In fact, the most common reason for parent visits were disciplinary issues.

Jack sat silently outside the principal’s office, his hands clasped together tightly in front of him. As he tightened bruised knuckles dried blood came off in flakes. He could feel a gash swelling above his right eye where his opponent had landed a lucky shot.

It didn’t hurt nearly as bad as what he suspected was coming.

The door opened and Jack shot up to his feet, catching a glimpse of his father shaking the principal’s hand before the door closed again and left them alone.

Jack’s father looked at him with tired sad eyes, and he sighed.

“Father…I can explain…” Jack began, but his father cut him off with a wave of his hand.

“When you were sent here, your mother and I knew you did not belong here,” he said. “We knew that you had great honor, and that we could be proud of you. But this…petty fights over passing comments is not like you.”

Jack remembered the fight in a blur. A boy yelling something at him, and his reaction of throwing a lunch tray in his face. It wasn’t the cruel comment that had set him off. It had been…everything else.

The nightmares, the hallucinations, Aku’s constant harassment.

He’d just snapped.

“I know…” Jack’s spine bent ever so slightly, less like a bow and more like a posture of defeat.

“It’s not like you at all,” Mr. Sakai sighed again, rubbing at his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “And it’s not how I raised you. You know better, and you will do better.”

Jack felt cold all over. He had no way of knowing whether or not his father really meant for his words to sound as harsh as they did, but the way his mind was these days twisted each syllable towards the negative.

Without so much as a goodbye, Jack’s dad left, leaving Jack standing alone in the hallway with fists curled tight.


	14. 4/20

The first time Jason had shown up with a joint Jack had been trying to keep his reputation going so he could get back to his old school. Even when Thief insisted it was great for anxiety, Jack said no. 

His junior year when Thief offered him a puff again, Jack shrugged and said “zoloft is too expensive”.

Somehow a little weed between friends turned into a midnight adventure to ‘wherever the wind takes us’.

After visiting two different 7/11s the group stumbled across a toy store. Jack, in a brand new 90 cent Slurpee hat, stared into the window curiously.

“Dude, dude, you wanna get in there?” Thief asked after a long slurp of the beverage Jack’s hat was advertising.

“…Yes.”

“I got you, man.”

Thief got out his lock picking kit and got to work while Scottie and Samurai wrestled in the background. 

“Alright, I got it,” Thief said, just as Samurai and Scottie rolled into the door and knocked it wide open.

“Have a little respect for what I do, please, just a little respect!” Thief said, angrily tucking his tools away.

“Whoa, wouldya look at that!” Scottie said, pressing a button on a robot t-rex that lit up and roared. “Damn, kids today get all the cool stuff.”

“KOBE!” Samurai threw an enormous ball at Thief, knocking him over. This started an all out ball fight between everyone but Jack, who busied himself picking tiny plastic dinosaurs out of the grab box and pairing up the ones he thought would be friends.

As he placed a brontosaurus next to a parasaurolophus, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. There was a pair of feet sticking out from the next aisle over. Jack stood unsteadily, and slowly walked over into the next aisle. 

Laying on the ground was a man covered in blood. He turned his head to Jack and gurgled a wordless plea at him. He reached for Jack with one hand and tried to stop the bleeding at his throat with the other. Jack wanted to run, but he found his feet glued to the ground. When he looked down at them he saw that dozens of hands coming from the floor were grabbing at his ankles and keeping him from moving.

Jack’s breath came in ragged and way too fast, his heart felt like it was going to split open.

“Jack?” Thief came running down the hall giggling, and grabbed Jack for balance. “Whoa, man you gotta help me, they’re kicking my ass over there.”

Jack blinked, the hallucinations vanished. Then he went to have fun with his friends.

 

After thoroughly trashing (and in Jack’s case the subsequent cleaning of) the toy store, the group sat in a circle on the floor passing around a joint and making small talk. Jack had left a five dollar bill on the counter for some silly putty, slime, and a slinky. He was currently pulling and twisting at the putty in an attempt to calm himself and found it working almost as well as the weed.

“Worst thing I’ve ever done?” Thief hummed thoughtfully, smoke curling free of his mouth. “Stole twenty bucks from the Salvaton Army but they’re homophobic and I needed a birthday present for my mom so…”

“And did all twenty go towards that gift?” Samurai asked, raising an eyebrow.

“YES! Such accusations,” Thief gasped, passing the blunt to Jack. “Alright man, your turn.”

Jack inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. He imagined for a moment that he was a dragon as he blew smoke into the darkness. Then he opened his eyes again.

“I slit a man’s throat in a knife fight,” he said. “His girlfriend took me home and took care of me, and I was too much of a coward to hide the body myself so she went back to do it, and his friends killed her. So I stole food and money from her house so I could keep traveling, then because I am a coward I returned here to finish school and that is why I start drinking at eight in the morning and sometimes feel the urge to cause myself harm.”

You could have hard a pin drop, and in fact did as Thief had been fidgeting with his lock picking tools. Jack took another drag and laughed slightly. 

“Damn, sensei, that’s…super fucked up man, shit sorry.” Samurai said.

“I bet he had it coming,” Thief said.

“That..does not make me feel better…?” Jack giggled.

“Well then let’s find something that does!” Thief said, standing.

The next morning the four friends woke up in Jack’s room, all of them cuddled up against some part of the largest stuffed bear any of them had ever seen. There was a reciept stapled to it with a hastily scrawled note that said “future Ryou, Scottie paid for this, do not worry, from Ryou”.


	15. The Little Sisters of The Admirer of The One Known as Aku

A white mini-van pulled up in front of the fence as classes let out. A few of the students eyed it warily, or even greedily in Thief’s case.

“You don’t want to rob that one,” Jack said.

He was looking good today. His once tangled hair had been brushed and pulled back into a thick ponytail, his beard had been neatly trimmed, the dark circles around his eyes had almost faded and he was wearing a clean sweatshirt and jeans.

“Why not?” Thief asked, spitting out a tooth pick.

“Trust me,” Jack said, giving a few practice punches in the air. He began to stretch as well, his face becoming serious.

“Friends ‘a yers?” Scottie asked.

“Not exactly,” Jack replied.

The doors to the van slid open, and for a moment the friends could see a shadowy figure sitting in the driver’s seat. Then seven smaller shadows leapt from the van and scaled the fence in a matter of seconds. Before Scottie, Thief, or Samurai could even so much as ask “what are those tiny shadows scaling the fence?” seven girls around elementary school age ran at Jack with fists at the ready.

One of the girls kicked Jack’s legs out from under him, he managed to catch himself just in time to block a hit from another one.

“Yo, we gotta help him,” Samurai said.

“Help him fight children?” Thief scoffed. “No way. I’m not getting another detention for beating up little girls.”

The three friends watched in mute horror and confusion as Jack and the young girls fought. Then almost as quickly as the fight had begun it ended as the mini-van’s horn honked impatiently. The girls stared Jack down, eyes narrowing into angry slits.

“Next time, scum,” one of the girls growled. Then they dashed away back over the fence and into the van. The van tore off, tires squealing, leaving Jack’s friends to stare at him with mouths agape.

“Who the hell where they?” Thief asked.

“The little sisters of a girl that has found herself quite enamored with Aku,” Jack said, dusting himself off. “They have karate practice on Tuesdays, and they stop by here first for a warmup. I believe they’re trying to get Aku to like their sister by fighting me.”

“Shit man, that’s weird,” Samurai laughed.

“I don’t know.” Jack shrugged. “They’re sweet kids….a little troubled…but sweet.”


	16. Ashi

When the door rang, the clerk behind the counter turned to give a friendly 7/11 greeting to the new customers, but the hello froze in his throat when he saw who came in.

A huge red-head, a guy with a mohawk and ear piercing, a shifty looking skinny guy with suspicious eyes and lots of pockets, a bearded guy halfway between thin and muscular with huge dark circles and bandaids all over, and finally right in the middle of them all was a little girl that barely came up to their knees dressed all in black and wearing a fierce glower.

They split up, all except the bearded guy and the little girl. They held hands and headed for the candy aisle.

“Hey check me out,” Samurai tried on a pair of shades from the display and shot finger guns at Scottie.

“Not bad, not bad, but check out these bad boys,” Scottie turned to face him wearing an even more ridiculous pair.

Thief whistled innocently as he stuffed his pockets full of lighters and snacks.

“This?” Jack asked, kneeling in front of Ashi and holding up a candy bar.

“No,” Ashi replied.

“This?” Jack picked up a different candy bar.

The clerk watched Thief nervously, just knowing he was stealing but not seeing any proof.

“Uh, can I get a box of salems laddie?” Scottie asked the clerk.

“Don’t give him any,” Jack elbowed Scottie away. “He’s quitting.”

“Oi! And what exactly are you doing with yer vodka? You quitting too or what?” Scottie growled.

Jack put two cans of Arizona iced tea and two Snickers bars on the counter and handed the clerk a kind of credit card he’d only seen CEO’s use before.

“Psst,” Thief bent down next to Ashi and showed her his full pockets. Ashi looked at Jack as if asking how to react, but he only sighed and shrugged.

As they left the store Thief pulled an entire Slurpee out of his jacket and handed it to Ashi.

“Where to now lassie?” Scottie asked.

“The park!” Ashi pointed ahead.


	17. Found

Jack went to a highly secure school for criminals, but Ashi never let that stop her from visiting when home life was getting rough.

There was a drainpipe two rooms across from Jack’s, and Ashi could climb it and shimmy across two windowsills to the window that Jack always had open just a crack for when   
she needed somewhere safe to go.

Tonight the windowsill wasn’t open.

Ashi knocked on the glass, her lips pursing with anxiety. When no one answered she decided she had to find an alternate way in. Ashi reached to her foot and dug around, coming away with a very tiny lock pick case from Thief.

Jack had told her to use it only in emergencies, but Thief had said that life was an emergency and she may as well have fun. She pulled a pocket sized crowbar from the kit and stuck it under the window, forcing it up until there was enough room for her fingers. She tucked the lockpicking kit back into her shoe and squirmed under the window into Jack’s room.

The first thing she noticed was the broken glass that crunched under her feet. She lifted a foot and looked at the glass beneath it, noticing the remnants of a label. Then she saw the red stain on the glass.

Ashi had seen blood before, and she was no stranger to liquor bottles scattered about the house, but seeing these things in a place she considered safe made her stomach twist.

“Jack?” she called into the darkened room.

There was no response.

Ashi looked at the ground again and noticed that the drops of blood led out the bedroom’s door. 

Out into the dorms. 

Ashi took a deep breath and remembered the way her sister had trained her. Maybe it wasn’t the best way for a guardian to raise a young girl, but it would come in handy here. 

Moving to the tips of her toes, Ashi slowly opened the door careful not to let it creak. The hallways were empty, but she could hear movement inside each of the rooms. Ashi moved carefully, sliding against the walls to avoid the parts of the floor that creaked when she tested them with her toes. 

There was less blood now, Ashi could see a spot where it was smeared as if someone had swiped a foot through it to cover their tracks. She followed what was left to the boys bathroom three doors down.

Once inside she heard the sound of running water, and retching. She could see one of the sinks was on with no one using it. All around the basin were bloody paper towels and a box of bandaids. One of the stall doors was open, and Ashi thought it was safe to guess the occupant.

She snuck over and peered in. The sight of a shirtless back littered with scars, old and new, and bruises heaving greeted her and Ashi gasped.

She clapped a hand over her mouth and stepped out of sight quickly and silently.

A few moments passed before a wretched, rasping voice called out.

“Who… who’s there?”

Ashi paused, her face worried and thoughtful, then she spoke. “It’s me...it’s me, Ashi.”

“Ashi?” Jack asked, his voice slurred and scared. “You should not be here…”

Her eyebrows furrowed and she bit her lip. “I-I, sorry, I just thought, because you said I could always come here….”

Ashi noticed how Jack refused to turn around and look at her, and she wondered if there was something worse than his scarred back to be seen. “Should...should I get someone?   
You look hurt.”

“No!” Jack said quickly. “I mean...no, I am fine.”

“You don’t sound fucking fine,” Ashi said.

“Ashi, language,” Jack coughed and retched again. Ashi waited for him to finish before she narrowed her eyes and replied.

“You’ve said worse, and you look bad.”

“I am serious this time.”

Ashi could hear a metallic smack as Jack most likely tried to wave her off and hit his hand on the stall.

“...seriously drunk,” Ashi folded her arms over her chest, half in skepticism half in worry. She felt if she held herself, she could keep all the worry inside. It was as if the butterflies in her stomach had reached her heart and now threatened to burst from her body. Maybe if she kept holding herself she could keep her body from exploding.

“Ashi, please calm down, you’re hyperventilating.”

Ashi felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up into Jack’s eyes. Even though they were bloodshot and unsteady, the concern in them comforted her. She could always find that concern and guidance with Jack, the kind she never got at home. 

Ashi felt something drip onto her shoulder, and that’s when she saw the deep red slices in Jack’s arm. Jack noticed it too, and yanked his arm away, hiding it behind his back.

“Did someone hurt you?” Ashi asked, pulling at his arm.

“Ashi, no, let go,” Jack pulled her from his arm and pushed her away gently. “Please...you can wait in my room, okay?”

“I…” Ashi wanted to push the issue, but she didn’t want to make Jack mad. Nothing good ever happens when someone gets mad. Ashi put a hand to her collarbone, one of the   
places where her sister had put out a cigarette after Ashi had disagreed with her and made her angry. Part of her knew Jack would never hurt her, but another part of her was curled up in the back of her brain like a scared feral cat.

Jack must have noticed her touching her scars, because he knelt down to make himself smaller. He swayed unsteadily as he did so, and almost hit his head on one of the sinks.  
Ashi grabbed him quickly and stepped under Jack’s arm to balance him. 

“How about we both go to your room?” Ashi looked up at Jack.

Jack was leaning heavily on her and sweating. His long hair and beard appeared matted and the area around his eyes was bruised. Despite both of them knowing how terrible Jack looked, he straightened and stood solidly.

“Alright.”

He immediately leaned on Ashi again.

Ashi suddenly made a sound of remembrance and pointed towards the running sink. Jack waved it off. “I will clean up later, do not worry.”

Ashi seriously doubted he would be moving around anytime soon after the walk back to his room, but she left the bloody paper towels where they were.

Ashi was strong for her age, and Jack was small for his. Somehow she was able to support the teenage boy all the way back to his room. Once there Jack lowered himself slowly onto his bed, his hands on his knees. Seeing Ashi hovering nervously by the door, he waved her over. Ashi sat on the bed next to him, until she remembered his bleeding cuts. 

“Do you have a first aid kit?” she asked. 

“I think...yes…” Jack pointed over towards the closet. 

Ashi went through the closet, noticing several bottles of vodka, beer, wine, and a towel with crusted over blood stains. Finally, she found the kit and brought it back to the bed. 

“Hold still,” she ordered, grabbing the sanitizing swabs and bandages.

“Ashi, you do not need to take care of me,” Jack pulled away, guilt in his eyes. Ashi pulled his arms back and began cleaning the cuts.

“No, I can do this myself,” Jack reached for the swab, off by several inches. “Ashi, you shouldn’t have to do this.”

“It’s fine,” Ashi assured and resumed cleaning. She concentrated on the task, trying to not think about what the angles of the lacerations and how the blood beaded up implied depth, meant.With the cuts cleaned Ashi covered them in gauze, happy to hide them from her sight.

Jack looked at the one bandaged arm as she finished the other, and frowned. “I closed the window so you would not see this.”

“Where’s Scottie?” Ashi asked. “Did you wait for him to leave before you did this?”

“...” Jack didn’t answer, only looked at his feet. “...it is quite late. You should stay here tonight. I will sleep on the floor.”

Ashi inhaled deeply and looked Jack straight in the eye before pushing him on the bed. 

She ignored Jack’s feeble sounds of protest as she grabbed a random blanket and threw it on him. Ashi reached into her pocket for the ten dollar cell phone the gang had got her when they started hanging out. She still had plenty of minutes to burn, maybe she should call the others. This was too much for her to fix on her own. Jack was still bleary eyed and she didn’t know if it was from blood loss or drinking or if he’d puked up every bit of nutrients he’d had in his body, or maybe it was all three.   
Ashi sent a text to the group chat, asking them to come to Jack’s room. There was an instant reply.

**Scottish Pirate:** Be there in a shake of a lambs tail whats wrong lassie ?????????

**DJ Sa-Moo-rai:** Did u climb the pipe again? Crazy ass girl

**StoleUr <3:** Busy. Got a test.

**LadybugNinja:** Shut ur fucks and get over here dumbasses

**LadybugNinja:** @scottishpirate it’s jack

**SamuraiJack:** ggguy;s im f;ne

**DJ Sa-Moo-rai:** sensei r u crytyping?

**StoleUr <3: ** bro that’s not crytyping that’s drunktyping learn ur types

**Scottish Pirate:** jack u ugly fuck put down the fucking bottle imma b there in 5m

Ashi knocked the phone out of Jack’s hands, and waited for help to arrive. A few minutes later, the bedroom door slammed open and Scottie stood in the doorway with his chest heaving.

“J A C K.” Scottie pointed at Jack and slowly walked over to where Ashi and Jack were sitting. He grabbed Jack’s shoulder and leaned in before softly whispering,  
“What the fuck, Jackie.”

“What in specific are you what the fucking?” Jack groaned, covering his eyes with his hands.

“How about this?” Scottie grabbed one of Jack’s arms, waving it in front of his face. Ashi left the bed and wandered over to Jack’s desk, giving the roommates some space to work things out. She rested her chin on the desk, and the sound of rain beating on the window lulled her into a half-asleep state.

Still, Scottie and Jack’s conversation kept her awake.

“I thought ya were gonna get help!”

“I don’t want help...I just want the pain to stop.”

“You think it will stop if you get blackout drunk and hurt yerself?”

“I…… I don’t know anymore.”

“Jackie, a ten-year-old had to patch ya up...I just think it might be time to...I don’t know tell yer parents or a therapist or something-”

“No! I can handle this. I always have before.”

“This is handling it?” Scottie’s voice pitched up at the end, incredulous.

“Yes, It is.” Jack snapped, turning his head away from Scottie. Scottie groaned and shook his head. 

“Laddie, I don’t think yer seeing the situation straight anymore. Or the room for that matter, ya smell like a distillery.” Scottie sighed. “Jack, it’s been...months now I’d say. Yer like a yo-yo, recovering and then getting bad again. How long can you keep this up?”

“How long have you been doing this to yourself?” 

Scottie and Jack leaned over and saw Ashi standing at the foot of the bed.

“Ashi, lass, can you go to Malik’s room?” Scottie whispered.

“But I want to help!” Ashi insisted.

“No, Scottie is right,” Jack said. If Scottie was going to persist with this line of conversation, Jack did not want Ashi present. No 10-year old child should listen to someone close talk about that.

He’d already hurt her enough for one day, and he’d never forgive himself.

“...Can I come back later?” Ashi asked.

“Sure, lass, once I get this wee baby to sleep,” Scottie winked. Ashi gave a small smile, but it only lasted a few seconds. Then she left the room, closing the door slowly and quietly behind her.

Jack watched the door click shut and felt the discussion at hand looming over him

“I…” Jack’s words trailed off and Scottie tutted sternly.

“Can’t even form a sentence anymore I bet. Come on, laddie. Go to sleep and we’ll be talkin’ about this in the morning when ya sober up.”

“Is Ashi okay? Did I scare her?” Jack asked quietly.

“Think about it tomorrow, laddie.” Scottie answered.


End file.
